Greensborough

Greensborough is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km (11 mi) north-east from Melbourne's Central Business District.

Greensborough is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km (11 mi) north-east from Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government areas are the City of Banyule and the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2016 Census, Greensborough had a population of 20,821.The suburb was named after settler Edward Bernard Green, who was also the district mail contractor. Formerly it was known as Keelbundoora.

In 1838, Henry Smythe, a Crown grantee, purchased 259 hectares for 544 pounds, from John Alison. The boundaries of this land included Gold Street in the North, Macorna Street in the West, Grimshaw Street in the South and Plenty River in the East. In 1841 he sold this land for 1600 pounds to Edward Bernard Green and it was from Green that Greensborough derived its name.The township was established in the late 1850s, with the Post Office opening on 17 July 1858. In 1842, Charteris Lieutenant, Robert Whatmough started his own orchard. Whatmough's knowledge of botany was extensive and had published a comprehensive book on Botany after arriving in Australia. Trees can still be found growing in Greensborough, along the Plenty River Trail. By 1871, Greensborough had a population of 167 and by 1933 had grown to 940.In 1845 a small private school was established. The school was a slab hut with a large fireplace that filled the end wall. Mr. Purcell, the teacher charged two shillings, per week for each of his twenty pupils. The building was destroyed by fire and another school did not re-open until 1854. There is very little information about the school or the teaching methods of Mr. Purcell.

A telegraph line connecting Greensborough and Diamond Creek with Heidelberg was completed in 1888. From 27 July 1888 a telephone link across the line was added so that telegrams could be sent or received by telephone.During the 1880s and 1890s Diamond Valley became popular with excursionists from inner Melbourne. Tourism increased with the advent of the railway line in the twentieth century. Greensborough was noted for its fishing (cod, perch, blackfish and eels). Another leisure pursuit that was taken up by visitors was shooting. Rabbit and hares were plentiful and the hotel provided accommodation for weekend visitors.The Diamond Valley Football Association was formed 1922 at Diamond Creek and initially consisted of teams from Kangaroo Ground, Eltham, Diamond Creek, Templestowe, Greensborough, and Warrandyte.

In 1864, the Greensborough Hotel, formally known as the Farmers Arms Hotel, was built by Englishman James Iredale. It served as a stopping point for travelers on their way to the goldfields further north. By law, a lit lantern was required as a sign of welcome to those needing a well-earned rest or to refresh their horses. The hotel was demolished and rebuilt in 1925 by then-owner Denis Monahan. Greensborough Hotel, by architects Sydney Smith, Ogg and Serpell, 349 Collins Street, Melbourne, has been well thought out, and the three sources of income - the bar, the dining room and the residential section, although all under easy supervision from the office, are kept absolutely distinct, so that visitors to any of these three sections are separate. Greensborough Hotel is the second hotel to occupy this site and represents a continuation of use spanning close to 150 years. It is aesthetically significant as an unusual example of the inter-War Spanish Mission style hotel in the suburb of Greensborough. It is one of the few early twentieth-century buildings remaining in the area and has become a landmark in the commercial centre of Greensborough. The hotel is located on the corner of Main Street and The Circuit, Greensborough. The latest owner of the hotel is George Hamad.

There are 13 plaques installed from the corner of Grimshaw and Henry Street, down Grimshaw and left into Main Street featuring historical information.